Like hops? Well, with the kind help from some of the most popular
brewers of hoppy beers, we've rounded up a bunch of recipes that are
sure to get any hophead salivating. To get the most from these clones,
keep the following in mind: No wimpy boils! You will need to perform a
vigorous full wort boil and still yield the correct amount of wort when
you are finished. All-grain brewers should review their notes to
determine their evaporation rate, and don't be afraid to add some water
if you yield less than 5 gallons (19 L) of wort. Extract brewers should
realize that you can't make these beers by boiling a couple gallons of
wort on your stovetop — you won't get the full amount of bitterness that
way. Either get a kettle big enough to do a full wort boil or make two
separate 2.5-gallon (9.5-L) batches — each boiled vigorously with half
the malt and hops — and combine them. (See the "Texas Two Step" article
in the October 2003 issue of BYO for more information on this. This
takes a little more work than an ordinary batch of extract beer. But
when you taste the hoppy beer, you'll be glad you did.) No
underpitching! These beers are big as well as hoppy, so pitch enough
yeast for a healthy fermentation.

Step by Step
Mash in at 122 °F (50 °C), then raise the temperature to 149 °F (65
°C) until conversion is complete. Mash out to 170 °F (77 °C). Boil the
wort for 105 minutes. Starting with 90 minutes left in the boil,
begin slowly and evenly adding hops to the kettle. (This works out to a
little over 0.25 oz. (7 g) of hops every 7.5 minutes.) Start
fermentation at 71 °F (22 °C) and let raise to 74 °F (23 °C). Dry hop in
secondary at 71 °F for 3–5 days, then cool to 32 °F (0 °C).

Step by Step
Mash in at 145 °F (63 °C) then ramp temperature to 152 °F (67 °C) for
conversion. Mash out to 170 °F (77 °C). Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops
at the times indicated in the ingredient list. Whirlpool the wort and
let it sit for 15 minutes prior to cooling. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C).

Step-by-step
Steep the 2 crushed grains in 3 gallons (11.4 L) of water at 149 ºF (65
ºC) for 30 minutes. Remove grains from wort, add Magnum hops, malt syrup
and bring to a boil. Add Irish moss and boil for 60 minutes. Add the
first addition of Centennial hops at the end of the boil, and let steep
for 5 minutes. Add wort to 2 gallons (7.6 L) cool water in a sanitary
fermenter, and top off with cool water to 5.5 gallons (20.9 L). Cool the
wort to 75 ºF (24 ºC), aerate the beer and pitch yeast. Allow the beer
to cool over the next few hours to 68 ºF
(20 ºC) and hold at this temperature until the yeast has finished
fermentation. Add last addition of Centennial hops for dry hopping. Dry
hop for 3 to 5 days, then bottle your beer, carbonate and enjoy!

All-grain option:
Use 14.6 lbs. (6.6 kg) 2-row malt and 1.0 lbs. (0.45 kg) of crystal malt
(15 ºL ) in your grain bill. Mash your grains at 149 ºF
(65 ºC) for 60 minutes. Collect enough wort to boil for 90 minutes and
have a 5.5-gallon (20.9 L) yield (~7 gallons or 26.6 L). Decrease Magnum
boiling hops to 1.75 oz. (50 g) to account for higher extraction ratio
of a full boil. The remainder of the recipe is the same as above. A
2-3 quart (~2-3 L) yeast starter is strongly recommended. To make one,
boil 0.5-0.75 lbs. (0.22-0.34 kg) of dried malt extract in 2-3 quarts
(~2-3 L) of water. Cool, aerate and pitch the yeast 2-3 days before
brewday. Don't use stale, leftover hops! Use the freshest hops you can
find. Avoid hops that look brown or smell cheesy.

Read the
instructions! Some of these beers require you to whirlpool the wort and
let it sit for awhile before cooling. Do not skip or shorten this stage
as this is needed for the beer to reach its full bitterness. If you are
brewing outside in cold weather, insulate your kettle during the
whirlpool stage. Extract brewers should follow the directions for
steeping carefully. The right temperature and volume of water is given
for each recipe. Place your crushed grains in a nylon steeping bag and
steep them in a separate pot. Add the "grain tea" to their brewpot when
it is ready. Don't try to rinse the grains with additional hot water,
just let the bag drip. (These steps help limit astringency, a common
problem in extract beers. Also, some grains that need to be mashed are
included in the steeping grains. These are added for flavor, but can
cause starch haze if you ignore the steeping instructions.) Note that,
while you are steeping, you can be heating the water in your brewpot.
And finally — don't rush! Let these beers age awhile before enjoying
them. When they're ready, you can sit back and enjoy the burn. Happy
hopping!

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